1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to a recessed wall-mounted outlet box having a stop valve connected to a water supply line and a push-pull handle assembly providing convenient, instantly accessible, manual control over the flow of inlet water through the valve. An alternative embodiment wherein the valve is controlled by turning the knob or faceplate is also disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
Many different wall-mounted outlet boxes have previously been disclosed that contain valves for and provide access to one or more water supply lines and, sometimes, drain lines for household or commercial appliances such as, for example, washing machines, ice makers, toilets, and the like. In the past the valves used in many such outlet boxes were open and closed by rotating a hand wheel at the top of the valves. More recently, quarter turn ball valves have achieved widespread use because the handles on the valves move between fully open and fully closed positions by traversing an arc of only 90 degrees or less. Such prior art water outlet boxes are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,983,923, 6,125,881, and 6,234,193.